Basic Biographical Details

Name:

Kenneth Andrew Begg

Designation:

Architect

Born:

27 February 1903

Died:

Bio Notes:

Kenneth Andrew Begg was born on 27 February 1903, the son of architect John Begg (born 1866 at Bo'ness), who was at the time working as consulting architect to the Government of Bombay and later practised in Edinburgh. The younger Begg attended classes at the School of Architecture, Edinburgh College of Art, from October 1922 until 1928, and was a pupil of Dick Peddie & Walker Todd in 1924 and 1925. In June 1928 he was granted an exemption from the RIBA final exam, and in the same year won the Rowand Anderson Silver Medal and a £100 travelling studentship which allowed him to tour Scotland and France for three months. Prior to that time he had also visited Lincoln, Northamptonshire, Gloucestershire and Yorkshire.

He was admitted ARIBA in early 1929, his proposers being his father, Frank Charles Mears and Charles Denny Carus-Wilson. At that time he was living with his father at 94 Inverleith Place and working in the Mears & Carus-Wilson office. Later that year he moved to London to work as assistant to Sir Edwin Lutyens, leaving him in 1931 to become chief assistant to William D'Arcy Cathcart in Salisbury, Rhodesia. After two years there he returned to London to work as chief assistant to Laurence Mursell Gotch, but in 1936 he left Britain again to commence practice as a principal in Madras, Southern India, in the partnership of Edwards, Reid & Begg. He retired from that partnership in 1939 to join H M Forces, and on his demobilisation in 1945 became Chief Architect to the Government of Uganda. He was admitted FRIBA in 1951, his proposers being Henry Kendall, G B E Norburn and N Thornley Dyer.

By 1960 Begg had moved to work for the Ministry of Works and Transport in Ibadan, Western Nigeria. By 1963-4 he was Chief Architect, Public Works Department, Ministry of Works & Hydraulics, Georgetown, Guyana. He remained in this post until at least 1967. He is no longer listed in the 1970 Directory.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this architect:

Address

Type

Date from

Date to

Notes

94, Inverleith Place, Edinburgh, Scotland

Private

1929 *

14, Gowers Road, Entebbe, Uganda

Private

1951 *

Ibadan, Nigeria

Private/business

c. 1960

Georgetown, Guyana

Private/business

c. 1963

* earliest date known from documented sources.

Employment and Training

Employers

The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this architect (click on an item to view details):